1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to molded getter bodies and to methods of producing such bodies, and, somewhat more particularly, to getter bodies formable into compressed body shapes in a simplified manner from a powder mixture consisting of a getter material, a polyamide, and a binding material.
2. Prior Art
Getter bodies in the form of tablets and the like for use in encapsulated electrical components are known, as taught, for example, from German AS No. 30 08 290 (which corresponds to the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,444 assigned to the instant assignee).
In addition to a getter material and a polyamide material, the getter body described in this publication also contains aluminum stearate and polycarbonate. Such body is formed by producing a first mixture consisting of a getter material and a polycarbonate solution which, after mixing, is dried and ground to a uniform particle size, and then a second mixture is formed from a polyamide powder and aluminum stearate, which is mixed with the first mixture, and such resulting admixture is then pressed into getter tablets and the like.
Such known getter bodies exhibit relatively good getter properties and have largely satisfactory mechanical stability. However, on the one hand, manufacture of such bodies is still relatively involved since it comprises numerous processing steps and, on the other hand, such getter bodies must still be barrel-burnished (smoothened) after molding in order to remove any adhering particles therefrom and to deburr the bodies. Further, such known getter bodies exhibit fluctuations in their getter properties as a result of weight fluctations and fluctuations in the uniformity of the composition forming the bodies. Yet further, cracks in such getter bodies perpendicular to the molding direction cannot always be avoided